This is a personal story that I just felt like posting.
I highly encourage you to occasionally take a trip to reality. Leave your game inventory behind and enjoy the mana potions of life. I don’t know why I’m writing this. It’s sort of out of place. But if I deleted it, I’d be a hypocrite. And I feel the need to explain why I’ve been missing for the past month
If you’ve ever felt cool sand between your toes or watched moonrise on the beach, there’s something unequivocally enticing about the ocean. I’d like to reflect on a trip I took to the coast recently, and how it basically has healed many stresses from the last few years.
Our new spot on the ocean seemed to change every day like Poseidon’s will or endless rolling glass, stained portraits in a cathedral with each its own marine creature. There were manta rays flying on the surf and peaceful, anonymous specters of other people entranced by the waves, sanderlings tracing in their step to peck at bubbles.
I love real souvenirs. Nature has them too (so long as you respect the area.) I love finding seashells on the beach. It’s odd to think that at one point they encapsulated some creatures that are now gone, but it is totally natural. On one trip to the beach, I took agates home mostly. This last time I found fossils, starfish, and potential shark teeth amongst the seashells. Some sticks, toys, whatever is around! It’s a nice motivation to unwind and relax all the kinks from traveling.
Incidentally, I thought I’d mention that this beach is dredged for regular use, it disappears, and it’s replaced. Sort of zen that something impermanent of something ancient is uniquely comforting and essential, rebuilt continuously and indefinitely for our benefit.
I picked up some reading during that period because it was easy to pick up and put down if I needed to, and looked pretty normal amongst my neighbors at the beach. It helped some adjust from the screen-ic to the scenic, to basically reckless abandon in the sun all day to intentionally burn to a crisp. If you’re a pale person, getting a tan kind of feels like wearing an invisible electric coat at an initiation into the sun, especially mid-fall when the temperatures dip below global warming–it’s nice.
Then, things really evened out. Entertainment is therapeutic, but when you set yourself for success with your soul, the real energetic force bounces through your limbs destined for higher planes. Nature can make this happen. And I love it.
In addition, it’s fair that the beach is probably one of the best places to get fresh seafood. Some eat to live, others live to eat, I’m kinda in the middle, but I’m mostly vegetarian, which some would consider the latter. But at the beach, I’m a pescatarian and I love seafood. I’m quite fond of fish and chips, but also fish tacos, clam chowder, clam strips, and lobster rolls. It’s a thing people do there, a thing we do.
The ocean sets the pace, and I don’t really think much about being vegetarian at the beach, because as barbaric as it sounds, pretty much everything in the ocean already eats everything else in the ocean. When at home, there are even vegetarian fish products out there now, it’s kind of crazy. Had fried vegetarian fish and chips and faux lox so far this year!
A walk on the beach every day would probably make me fit as a fiddle. I’ve gone through phases in my life of walking, from learning to walk in the city to staying motivated on recent ventures. I know from others, and personally, that it takes time to acclimate to a good walking rhythm.
It’s different for everybody I think, but for me, it’s a mind-body rhythm. I loosen up and bounce on my feet forward. It just comes to me naturally now. My feet are like leather shoes from working as a janitor for a while, but it prevents my heels from bruising or feeling sore. I don’t know what to recommend really, but comfortable shoes and thick socks help a lot, and eventually, your feet will toughen up.
Many people find water, especially the ocean, to be healing. I totally agree with this. I’m not even talking about miracles, just general well-being really. What might take tremendous effort to walk at home could feel absolutely peaceful on the ocean.
Before you know it, you’ll be headed back, maybe you’ll stay. I’ll be back too. Enjoy the roar of the expansive deep waves.
Thanks for reading Mr. Dave Pizza. You’ve read a pizza post about a trip I took. I hope you enjoyed it. Have a look around and stop by again.
